Doberman or German Shepherd

Mr Punch

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So have made the decision that we are getting a new pup.

Have been researching a lot and am stuck on either getting a German shepherd or a Doberman.

Could anyone give me their experiences as to which they prefer? I have a 12 year old son.

Many thanks
 

MurphysMinder

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Well German shepherds for me. Not because I have anything against dobes but because I was born into a house full of GSDs and not much has changed throughout my life. My dogs have always been brilliant with children, good family protectors etc They need to be trained as they are very intelligent . If you go down the GSD route please ignore all the Crufts hype and do your research properly, you want pups from parents and several generations back of hip and elbow scores (or german A stamps), you should meet the bitch ideally before she has a litter which she may be protective of. You should expect to go on a waiting list for the right puppy in whichever breed you choose, I would be suspicious if someone has a full litter for sale at 8 weeks. Similarly , more often than not if the breeder has both parents it may mean they are doing things on the cheap to make money rather than improve their bitch. Most breeders I know travel many miles, if not to different countries, to find the right stud dog.
I will now hand over to dobiegirl! :)
 

Dobiegirl

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Ive never had a Dobe puppy but rescues who have all averaged about 18months which is the age that people find them unmanageable hence them ending up in rescue.

Finding a puppy I would take all that MM has said above as it applies to any breed of dog and is good advice.

They are a breed of dog that require early socialisation as they can be dog aggressive, 2 of mine were but with training can be turned around. I foster for a rescue and mine are wonderful with all the strange dogs that come in both dog and bitches and do most of the training I always think because they teach other dogs doggy social skills. Ive only known the breeding of 2 of mine and one of them was Eastern European bred, he was an extremely sharp dog and took a lot of getting to know plus a huge amount of training so I would avoid this breeding. They are a breed with a huge prey drive and are natural born killers, are not good with cats unless they are brought up with them. Having said all that they are good house dogs and will warn you if anyone is about, they have a good brain in their head and seem able to work out who is friend and who is foe. They are welcoming though to all my visitors and all have loved the postman.

They are not an easy breed as they require a lot of exercise and training but if you can do all that you will have the most loyal loving dog and they dont shed as much or require as much grooming as a GSD which to me is a huge bonus living on a farm where it always seems to be muddy

Please free to ask any questions as I am only too happy to help.
 

millitiger

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We had a dobe and she was a wonderful dog.

So calm and relaxed about everything, got on with other dogs, adored children and was just a lovely sweet lady.

Training wise, she had very selective hearing regarding recall so spent a lot longer on a flexi lead than our pointer but on the lead and behaviour around the house was immaculate.

The only thing she was terrible for was killing local wildlife, the hunting and killing instinct was very strong with small furry animals and birds but like I say, very good with others dogs and absolutely loved children.
 

Copperpot

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I have a dobie so would say get one! We have 5 dogs and I wish the others were like her! She's very laid back and gets on well with the others. On walks she has a good recall and isn't interested in other dogs or people. Just wants to do her running in big circles lol. She's 10 now so has slowed down slightly. Her only fault is she steals off the side now and then. But I think the terriers encourage her as she's the only one that can reach. Oh to have 5 Tia's! She's half the work of the little ones.
 
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